Redundancy data bus inversion sharing

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for redundant data bus inversion (DBI) sharing are described. A device may identify a group of channels included in a data bus. The device may determine whether the group of channels satisfies a criterion. Based on the determination, the device may allocate an overhead channel to the group of channels for a set of redundancy operations. Based on the determination, the device may allocate the overhead channel to the group of channels for a set of data bus inversion operations. The device may encode data associated with the group of channels based on the allocation of the overhead channel. The overhead channel may be included in the data bus.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor devices, and moreparticularly, to an architecture that integrates data bus inversion(DBI) and logic redundancy techniques.

BACKGROUND

Some application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs mayincorporate DBI techniques to provide benefits such as power savingswith respect to high width buses and/or reduced signal strength output(SSO) for parallel input/output (I/O) interfaces. In some cases,techniques such as logic redundancy (e.g., the addition of redundantlogic or redundant channels) may be implemented in ASIC designs toimprove overall yield with respect to fabricated ASICs.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices,and apparatuses that support redundancy DBI sharing. Generally, thedescribed techniques provide for integration of data bus inversion (DBI)and logic redundancy techniques.

An apparatus is provided that includes: a data bus; a processor; andmemory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructionsstored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processorto: identify a group of channels included in the data bus; determinewhether the group of channels satisfies a criterion; allocate the atleast one overhead channel to the group of channels for a set ofredundancy operations or a set of data bus inversion operations based onthe determining, where the at least one overhead channel is included inthe data bus; and encode data associated with the group of channelsbased on the allocating.

A system is provided that includes: a data bus; a controller, where thecontroller is configured to: identify a group of channels included inthe data bus; determine whether the group of channels satisfies acriterion; and allocate the at least one overhead channel to the groupof channels for a set of redundancy operations or a set of data businversion operations based on the determining, where the at least oneoverhead channel is included in the data bus; and a transceiver, wherethe transceiver is configured to: encode data associated with the groupof channels based on the allocating.

A device is provided that includes: a data bus, the data bus including agroup of channels and at least one overhead channel; first logiccircuitry configured to determine whether the group of channelssatisfies a criterion; second logic circuitry configured to allocate theat least one overhead channel to the group of channels for a set ofredundancy operations or a set of data bus inversion operations based onthe determining; and a transceiver configured to encode data associatedwith the group of channels based on the allocating. In some examples,the device may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

A method is provided that includes: identifying a group of channelsincluded in a data bus; determining whether the group of channelssatisfies a criterion; allocating the at least one overhead channel tothe group of channels for a set of redundancy operations or a set ofdata bus inversion operations based on the determining, where the atleast one overhead channel is included in the data bus; and encodingdata associated with the group of channels based on the allocating.

Examples may include one of the following features, or any combinationthereof.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set ofredundancy operations may be based on determining the group of channelssatisfies the criterion.

Some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein may include disabling the set of data bus inversion operationsfor the group of channels based on determining the group of channelssatisfies the criterion.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set of databus inversion operations may be based on determining the group ofchannels fails to satisfy the criterion.

Some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein may include enabling the set of data bus inversion operations forthe group of channels based on determining the group of channels failsto satisfy the criterion.

Some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein may include identifying one or more other groups of channelsincluded in the data bus; determining whether each of the one or moreother groups of channels satisfies a criterion; and allocating arespective overhead channel to each of the one or more other groups ofchannels for a set of redundancy operations or a set of data businversion operations, where the allocating may be based on thedetermining; and encoding data associated with the one or more othergroups of channels based on the allocating. In some aspects, therespective overhead channels is included in the data bus.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set ofredundancy operations may be associated with a first priority; andallocating the at least one overhead channel for the set of data businversion operations may be associated with a second priority.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, the first priority may be higher than the second priority.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, the at least one overhead channel may include redundant logiccircuitry corresponding to at least one channel of the group ofchannels.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, the criterion may include a defect threshold associated with atleast one channel of the group of channels.

Some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein may include identifying a fault associated with at least onechannel of the group of channels; and inverting a logic value associatedwith each channel of the group of channels or refraining from invertingthe logic value associated with each channel of the group of channels,based on a logic value associated with the fault and a logic valueassociated with the at least one channel, where the encoded data mayinclude the inverted logic value associated with each channel of thegroup of channels or a non-inverted logic value associated with eachchannel of the group of channels.

Some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein may include refraining from bypassing the at least one channelassociated with the fault.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, the fault may include a stuck-at fault, and the fault mayinclude a logic value of zero or a logic value of one.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, the encoded data may include a data bus inversion indicator.

Some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein may include setting a value for the data bus inversion indicator,where setting the value may be based on inverting the logic valueassociated with each channel of the group of channels or refraining frominverting the logic value associated with each channel of the group ofchannels.

In some examples of the apparatus, system, device, and method describedherein, the at least one overhead channel may be allocated from a secondgroup of channels included in the data bus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system that supports redundancy DBIsharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an encoder that supports redundancy DBIsharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system that supports redundancy DBIsharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports redundancyDBI sharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ensuing description provides example aspects of the presentdisclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, orconfiguration of the claims. Rather, the ensuing description willprovide those skilled in the art with an enabling description forimplementing the described embodiments. It being understood that variouschanges may be made in the function and arrangement of elements withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Variousaspects of the present disclosure will be described herein withreference to drawings that are schematic illustrations of idealizedconfigurations.

In some ASIC designs, DBI techniques may be implemented to providebenefits such as power savings with respect to high width buses. In somecases, DBI techniques may provide reduced SSO for parallel I/Ointerfaces. For example, DBI techniques may include incorporating anadditional data bit for each group of bits of a data bus. The group ofbits may correspond to a group of channels of the data bus. Theadditional data bit may indicate whether the data sent over the data bus(e.g., per clock cycle) is the original data or an inverted (e.g., bitflip) version of the data. In some cases, DBI techniques may reduce thenumber of transitions on a data bus (e.g., down to a toggle rate of50%), thereby providing power savings and reducing SSO.

For example, some encoding devices (e.g., encoders supporting DBI) mayanalyze the bit transitions associated with data to be sent. Based onthe number or frequency of bit transitions, the encoding devices maydetermine whether to activate DBI. For example, an encoding device maydetermine whether to activate DBI based on a comparison of the number ofdata bit transitions in a current clock cycle to the number of bittransitions in a previous clock cycle. If the number of data bittransitions for the current clock cycle is less than 50% for all thedata bits, for example, the encoding device may send the data as-is(e.g., unchanged) and set a DBI bit (also referred to herein as a DBIflag) to a logic value of “0.” Alternatively, if the number of data bittransitions is greater than 50%, for example, the encoding device mayinvert the data (e.g., invert the logic values of the data) and set theDBI bit to a logic value of “1” prior to transmitting the data.

At a decoding device (e.g., a decoder) receiving the data from theencoding device, the decoding device may invert the logic values of thereceived data (e.g., based on a DBI bit value of “1”) or maintain thelogic values as-is (e.g., based on a DBI bit value of “0”). Accordingly,in some DBI implementations, overhead may be attributed to the added DBIbit (e.g., the added channel for communicating the DBI bit). Forexample, the bit overhead for a group of data bits may be defined as1/N, where N is the size (e.g., number of bits) of the group. Bitoverhead may also be referred to herein as channel overhead.

In some cases, for a worst case input with respect to a group of databits (e.g., each data bit in the group has a 100% toggle rate), DBItechniques may provide a power savings of about 50%. Such power savingsmay be regardless of the size of the group (e.g., number of bits in thegroup, number of channels corresponding to the number of bits). In othersome cases, for random data inputs with respect to a group of data bits(e.g., each bit in the group has a 50% toggle rate on average, each bithas a 50% probability that the bit will toggle), DBI techniques mayprovide a power savings that is inversely proportional to the size ofthe group. For example, for data busses having group sizes of 8 bits, 16bits, and 32 bits, DBI techniques may provide respective power savingsof 15%, 13%, and 11%. In some systems, the design overhead associatedwith implementing DBI may include an overhead of 1 bit (also referred toherein as 1 I/O) per group of data bits, in addition to added memory andlogic circuitry (e.g., logic gates, switches, wires) for supporting DBIencoding and decoding.

In some ASIC designs, techniques such as logic redundancy may beimplemented to improve overall yield of fabricated ASICs (e.g., percentof fabricated ASICs that function correctly). For example, ASICs at someprocessing nodes may suffer from low yield. In an example, in ASICfabrication, yield may decrease exponentially as die size decreases, andadding redundant logic channels to ASIC designs may assist in improvingoverall yield. Some logic redundancy techniques may be applied, forexample, to ASICs which reach the maximum die size (also referred toherein as a reticle size).

Some logic redundancy techniques may include adding redundant channelsfor a group of data bits. Channels may be referred to as a high widthsignals routed over relatively large distances on a die. In some ASICs,switches included in the ASIC may include a relatively large number ofchannels that occupy a significant portion (e.g., above a thresholdpercentage) of the ASIC die size, and accordingly, the switches (andcorresponding channels) may have a high impact on ASIC yield. Otheraspects of logic redundancy relate to interposers used to interconnectmultiple dies as part of a multi-package technology. In some cases, aninterposer may include the use of parallel I/Os, which may support alarge number of signals. In some examples, the use of parallel I/Os mayresult in a high bandwidth forwarded between different dies on apackage.

In some cases, channel (or I/O) redundancy may be implemented by addinga redundant channel (or I/O) for each group of signals. Such techniquesmay include using a built-in self-test (BIST) for detecting defects on agiven channel and replacing a defective channel with the redundantchannel (e.g., using multiplexing to bypass the defective channel). Insome systems, the design overhead associated with implementing channel(or I/O) redundancy may include an overhead of 1 bit (also referred toherein as 1 I/O) per group of data bits.

According to example aspects of the present disclosure, DBI techniquesmay provide power savings (e.g., reduction in overall power) forchannels enabled for DBI. In some aspects, to achieve significant powersavings (e.g., above a percentage or threshold), a data bus may includerelatively small groups of channels (e.g., group size of 8 bits, or 8channels) that share a single overhead channel for DBI. Otherwise, forexample with some other devices, significant power savings may beachieved only in worst case conditions of 100% toggle rate.

Aspects of the present disclosure may encompass achieving total powerreduction of a device (e.g., reducing overall power associated with allchannels). The techniques described herein may support instances inwhich DBI is not enabled (e.g., not available, not activated) for arelatively small number of channel groups (e.g., 5% of the total numberof channel groups) in the data bus. In an example, channel groups in thedata bus may each have a group size of 16 bits (or 16 channels). In anexample in which 95% of the channel groups are enabled for DBI, overallpower savings by DBI may be equal to 95% of the original power savings(e.g., compared to cases in which DBI is enabled for all channels and/orchannel groups), which is advantageous compared to some DBIimplementations. Accordingly, for example, for a set of multiple channelgroups, applying the techniques described herein may satisfy a targetpower savings of 95% using DBI (rather than 100%). According to sometechniques described herein, channel groups that are not enabled for DBImay be enabled for redundancy.

Logic redundancy may be implemented to overcome as many defects aspossible in any channel (e.g., to overcome all defects in each channel)of a device. For example, a defect that is not resolved (e.g., bypassedusing logic redundancy) may reduce device yield. Some redundancytechniques may include decreasing the overhead (number of channelsadded) based on the ratio of defects (e.g., the ratio of defects is nothigh). In some cases, the amount of logic redundancy added to a devicemay be determined based on the costs associated with additional logiccompared to the quantity of defects overcome by the additional logic.For example, for a data bus having a bus width of 128 bits, someredundancy techniques may allocate one redundancy bit as beingsufficient for resolving any defects in the data bus. However, in someimplementations, channel group size may be selected to be much smallerthan 128 bits (128 channels). Such example implementations may reducecorresponding overhead associated with multiplexing between the 128channels and the single overhead channel for redundancy.

Based on the examples described herein with respect to some DBItechniques and logic redundancy techniques, channel group size in someDBI techniques may be equal to the channel group size in some logicredundancy techniques. From a redundancy perspective, there may be abenefit or need to use logic redundancy on every channel group. However,such approaches may be unattainable (e.g., due to overhead cost).Additionally, due to defect statistical behavior, typically a smallnumber of channel groups (e.g., below a threshold) will have a defect tobe addressed by logic redundancy.

According to the present disclosure, example aspects described hereinmay include an architecture that supports an integration of DBI andlogic redundancy techniques. In some aspects, for each group of channels(also referred to herein as a channel groups) in a data bus, thearchitecture may support a single channel overhead for the group. Thesingle channel overhead may be shared within the group to support bothDBI and logic redundancy, thereby taking advantage of the differentdesign parameters (or requirements) that each technique is capable ofaddressing. The techniques described herein for sharing a single channeloverhead among a group of channels may be similarly applied to sharing asingle I/O overhead among a group of I/Os (e.g., in the case of aninterposer used to interconnect multiple dies as part of a multi-packagetechnology).

In an example, a device (e.g., an ASIC device) may include a data busthat supports the transfer of data bits between different components inthe device or between the device and one or more other devices. The databus may have a width (e.g., bit size) of any number of bits. In anexample, the data bus may have a width of 8 bits, 16 bit, 32 bits, 64bits, 128 bits, etc. The data bus may include any number of channels. Insome aspects, the data bus may include a number of channelscorresponding to the bus width (e.g., the number of bits).

In some aspects, the data bus may include multiple groups of channels.Each group may have a group size of, for example, 8 bits, 16 bits, 32bits, 64 bits, etc. In an example aspect, each group of channels may beallocated a shared overhead channel. The device may support, for eachgroup, allocating the shared overhead channel to the group forredundancy operations or DBI operations.

In some cases, for each group, the device may prioritize allocating theshared overhead channel for redundancy operations. For example, for eachgroup, the device may first determine or check (e.g., using a BIST)whether the group has a redundancy need (e.g., one or more defectivechannels). In an example, for each group of channels, the device maydetermine or check whether the group has a redundancy need (e.g., adefective channel).

If the device determines a group of channels as having a redundancy need(e.g., one or more defective channels in the group), the device mayallocate the shared overhead channel within the group for redundancyoperations (e.g., for bypassing the defective channel), and the devicemay disable DBI for the group. If the device determines a group ofchannels as not having a redundancy need (e.g., no defective channels inthe group), the device may allocate the shared overhead channel withinthe group for DBI operations, and the device may enable DBI for thegroup. In some cases, for example, each group of channels may refrainfrom sharing an allocated shared overhead channel with another group ofchannels.

For example, for a first group of channels (also referred to herein as afirst channel group), the device may determine (e.g., using a BIST) thatone or more channels in the first group is defective (e.g., identify adefect in a channel). The device may allocate the shared overheadchannel within the first group for redundancy operations (e.g., forbypassing the defective channel), and the device may disable DBI for thefirst group. In another example, for a second group of channels (alsoreferred to herein as a second channel group), the device may determine(e.g., using a BIST) that no channels in the second group are defective.The device may allocate the shared overhead channel within the secondgroup for DBI operations, and the device may enable DBI for the secondgroup. In some aspects, the BIST may be implemented by logic included inthe device, via which the device may verify (e.g., test) operations ofthe device itself.

In some examples, based on manufacturing yields, it may be expected thata majority (e.g., 95% or more) of the channel groups may not have aredundancy need. For example, the majority of the channel groups may befree from defects (e.g., no defective channels are present in 95% ormore of the channel groups), and the device may enable DBI for thechannel groups free from defects. Accordingly, for example, a relativeminority (e.g., 5% or less) of the channel groups may be enabled forredundancy.

Some additional aspects of the disclosure are described which maysupport operations for DBI and stuck protection (e.g., stuck-at-faultprotection) using redundancy logic associated with an overhead channel.For example, an encoder (e.g., a DBI encoder) and a decoder (e.g., a DBIdecoder) may be utilized by a channel group configured for a redundancymode. Such example aspects may serve as an additional level optimizationin which an extra channel (e.g., overhead channel) is the same for bothDBI operations and stuck protection, and the optimization may includereuse of the extra logic associated with the extra channel.

In some aspects, at a transmitter side, the redundancy logic describedherein may include a 1:N multiplexer on a redundant channel (alsoreferred to herein as an overhead channel), where N is an integer valuecorresponding to the number of channels in the channel group. Theredundant channel may be used by any of the N channels of the channelgroup. In some other aspects, at a receiver side, the redundancy logicmay include a 1:2 multiplexer per each of the N channels of a channelgroup (e.g., for a total number N of the 1:2 multiplexers). For each ofthe N channels, the corresponding 1:2 multiplexer may select between theoriginal channel (e.g., if no defect is present) or the redundantchannel (e.g., if a defect is present in the original channel).

In some cases, principles for combining both logic (e.g., DBI and stuckprotection) may include using DBI for a channel group configuredaccording to a redundancy mode. For example, at the transmitter side, ifa defective channel of the channel group is stuck at logic value “0”,and a data bit to be transmitted over the defective channel also has alogic value of “0,” the transmitter may determine that there is no issuebased on the logic values. For example, the transmitter may maintain thelogic values as-is (non-inverted) for all channels of the channel group(including the defective channel) and set a DBI flag to logic value “0”(e.g., indicating no DBI). Alternatively, or additionally, if adefective channel of the channel group is stuck at logic value “0”, anda data bit to be transmitted over the defective channel also has a logicvalue of “1,” the transmitter may invert the logic values for allchannels of the channel group (including the defective channel) and setthe DBI flag to logic value “1” (e.g., indicating DBI).

In another example, at the transmitter side, if a defective channel ofthe channel group is stuck at logic value “1”, and a data bit to betransmitted over the defective channel also has a logic value of “0,”the transmitter may invert the logic values for all channels of thechannel group (including the defective channel) and set the DBI flag tologic value “1” (e.g., indicating DBI). Alternatively, or additionally,if a defective channel of the channel group is stuck at logic value “1”,and a data bit to be transmitted over the defective channel also has alogic value of “1,” the transmitter may determine that there is no issuebased on the logic values. For example, the transmitter may maintain thelogic values as-is (non-inverted) for all channels of the channel group(including the defective channel) and set a DBI flag to logic value “0”(e.g., indicating no DBI).

At the receiver side, the receiver may process the received data,without being aware of the mode (e.g., DBI or redundancy). In someaspects, the receiver may be implemented with zero logic overhead forsupporting redundancy.

Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described withreference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts thatrelate to redundancy DBI sharing.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of system 100 that supports redundancy DBIsharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The system100 may include a device 105. The device 105 may be, for example, anelectronic device capable of connecting to a wireless or wired network.The device 105 may be, for example, an ASIC device.

The device 105 may include a transmitter 110 (also referred to herein asa transmitting device), a data bus 125, and a receiver 145 (alsoreferred to herein as a receiving device). The data bus 125 may supportthe transfer of data bits between different components in the device 105and/or the transfer of data bits between the device 105 and one or moreother devices 105. For example, the data bus 125 may support thetransmission of data between the transmitter 110 and the receiver 145.The data bus 125 may be included in a transmission medium such as, forexample, a package/printed circuit board (PCB) transmission line. Insome aspects the transmission medium may include a wireless channel. Insome other aspects, the transmission medium may include a coaxial cable,a silicon interposer trace, or any other wireline interconnecttechnology. In some aspects, the transmission medium may include wiresor interconnect inside an ASIC (e.g., silicon).

In an example, the data bus 125 may have a width (e.g., bit size) of anynumber of bits. In an example, the data bus 125 may have a width of 8bits, 16 bit, 32 bits, 64 bits, 128 bits, etc. The data bus may includea number of channels (e.g., N channels) corresponding to the bus width(e.g., the number of bits). In some aspects, the data bus 125 mayinclude one or more channel groups 130 and one or more overhead channels132. For example, the data bus 125 may include multiple channel groups130 and multiple overhead channels 132, and each channel group 130 maybe allocated a respective overhead channel 132.

Each channel group 130 may include any number of channels. For example,the channel group 130 may include M channels (e.g., 8 channels, 16channels, 32 channels 64 channels, etc.). In some examples, each channelgroup 130 may have a bit width of, for example, 8 bits, 16 bit, 32 bits,64 bits, etc., and the overhead channel 132 may have a bit width of, forexample, 1 bit. In some aspects, for each channel group 130, theoverhead channel 132 may be included in (e.g., allocated from, sharedby) another channel group 130. In some cases, for each channel group130, the overhead channel 132 may not be shared from another channelgroup 130.

In an example of multiple channel groups 130, the group sizes may be thesame among the channel groups 130. In some examples, the group sizes maybe different among the channel groups 130. For example, each channelgroup 130 may have a group size equal to M channels, and each channelgroup 130 may be allocated a respective overhead channel 132. In someaspects, the data bus 125 may include any number of channel groups 130.

The transmitter 110 may include an encoder 115. The encoder 115 mayencode data using one or more encoding algorithms. For example, theencoder 115 may encode data using one or more DBI encoding algorithms.In some examples, using DBI encoding, the device 105 may invert databits prior to transmission, thereby providing increased power savingsand reduced SSO. DBI encoding may include bit inversion encoding for anyparallel interface, including commands, address information, etc. Thedevice 105 (e.g., transmitter 110) may transmit the encoded data to thereceiver 145 via the data bus 125. In some aspects, the device 105 maysupport any combination of processing data according to any combinationof DBI operations, logic redundancy operations, and/or encodingoperations prior to transmitting data over the data bus 125.

For example, the transmitter 110 may include a 1:M multiplexerconfigured to electrically couple any of the M channels in the channelgroup 130 to the overhead channel 132. In an example, for a givenchannel, the transmitter 110 may use the 1:M multiplexer to electricallycouple the given channel to the overhead channel 132, thereby bypassingat least a portion of the given channel. In some aspects, the device 105may transmit signals intended for the defective channel(s) of a channelgroup 130, over the respective overhead channel 132 allocated for thechannel group 130.

The receiver 112 may include a decoder 150. The decoder 150 may decodedata using one or more decoding algorithms. For example, the decoder 150may use one or more DBI encoding algorithms to decode the data (e.g.,encoded data 135) transmitted over the data bus 125. The decodingalgorithms (e.g., DBI decoding algorithms) may correspond to theencoding algorithms used by the transmitter 110 for encoding data. Thedecoder 150 may output unencoded data corresponding to the original dataencoded by the encoder 115.

In some aspects, the receiver 145 may include a 1:2 multiplexer at eachof the M channels in the channel group 130. In an example, the receiver145 may include a total of M multiplexers, where each multiplexer is a1:2 multiplexer. Each 1:2 multiplexer may be electrically coupled to theoverhead channel 132 and one of the M channels of the channel group 130.For example, each 1:2 multiplexer may be configured to output (e.g.,based on a selection by the receiver 145) a signal communicated across acorresponding channel or the overhead channel 132.

In some aspects, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 145 may beincluded the same chip (e.g., ASIC chip) of the device 105. In someother aspects, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 145 may respectivelybe located on different chips of the device 105. In some aspects, thetransmitter 110 and the receiver 145 may also be located on differentelectronic devices. For example, the transmitter 110 may be located on achip of the device 105, and the receiver 145 may be located on a chip ofanother device 105. In an example, the transmitter 110 may be includedin a transceiver included in the device 105, and the receiver 145 may beincluded in transceiver included in another device 105.

The transmitter 110 may include a channel configuration manager 120. Insome aspects, the channel configuration manager 120 may select, set,and/or configure one or more DBI encoding algorithms for encoding datato be transmitted by the device 105 (e.g., to be transmitted over thedata bus 125). In some aspects, the channel configuration manager 120may initiate and/or perform one or more operations (e.g., BISTs, anydesign-for-testability (DFT) technique)) for verifying the functionalityof any components (e.g., channel groups 130, ASICs) included in thedevice 105.

In an example, the channel configuration manager 120 may analyzechannels included in the data bus 125. For example, the channelconfiguration manager 120 may analyze whether channel groups 130included in the data bus 125 satisfy a criterion (e.g., a defectthreshold described herein). In some aspects, for each channel group130, the channel configuration manager 120 may allocate an overheadchannel 132 included in the channel group 130 for redundancy operationsor DBI operations based on the analysis. In some examples, the channelconfiguration manager 120 may disable DBI operations for a channel group130 for which a respective overhead channel 132 is allocated forredundancy operations. In another example, the channel configurationmanager 120 may enable DBI operations for a channel group 130 for whicha respective overhead channel 132 is allocated for DBI operations. Thechannel configuration manager 120 may set (e.g., select and/orconfigure) DBI encoding algorithms associated with DBI operationsenabled for a channel group 130.

The channel configuration manager 120 may perform any of the describedoperations independently and/or based on instructions from a controller155 (also referred to herein as a mode controller). For example, thechannel configuration manager 120 may allocate overhead channels forredundancy operations and/or DBI operations independently and/or basedon instructions from the controller 155. In some examples, the channelconfiguration manager 120 may enable or disable DBI operationsindependently and/or based on instructions from the controller 155. Insome cases, the channel configuration manager 120 may set DBI encodingalgorithms independently and/or based on instructions from thecontroller 155. In some example aspects, the channel configurationmanager 120 may include logic circuitry (e.g., logic gates) describedherein for bypassing a defective channel(s).

The controller 155 may be located on a same chip (e.g., ASIC chip) asthe transmitter 110 and/or the receiver 145. In some cases, thecontroller 155 may be located on a different chip as the transmitter 110and/or the receiver 145. In some examples, the transmitter 110 may belocated on a chip of the device 105, and the controller 155 may belocated on the same chip (or on a different chip) of the device 105. Inanother example, the receiver 145 may be located on a chip of anotherdevice 105, and a corresponding controller 155 may be located on thesame chip (or on a different chip) of the other device 105.

The controller 155 may instruct the transmitter 110 to use one or moreDBI encoding algorithms for encoding data to be sent via the data bus125. In some examples, the controller 155 may instruct the receiver 145to use one or more DBI decoding algorithms for decoding data that issent via the data bus 125.

According to example aspects of the present disclosure, the device 105may include a device architecture that supports an integration of DBIand logic redundancy techniques. As described herein, the data bus 125may include one or more channel groups 130, and each channel group 130may be allocated an overhead channel 132 (also referred to herein as ashared overhead channel). In some aspects, for a channel group 130, thedevice 105 may support allocating the overhead channel 132 within thechannel group 130 for redundancy operations or DBI operations. Forexample, the device 105 may support allocating a respective overheadchannel 132 to a channel group 130 for redundancy operations or DBIoperations.

In some cases, the data bus 125 may include multiple channel groups 130,and for each channel group 130, the device 105 may prioritize allocatingthe respective overhead channel 132 for redundancy operations overallocating the overhead channel 132 for DBI operations. For example, foreach channel group 130, the device 105 may first determine whether toallocate the respective overhead channel 132 for redundancy operations.For each channel group 130 the device 105 determines not to allocate therespective overhead channel 132 for redundancy operations, the device105 may allocate the respective overhead channel 132 for DBI operations.

The example operations described herein may be applied by the device 105for one or more channel groups 130 included in the data bus 125. In anexample, the device 105 may analyze each channel group 130 to determinewhether to allocate a respective overhead channel 132 for redundancyoperations or DBI operations. In some aspects, for multiple channelgroups 130, the device 105 may analyze the channel groups 130 based on aconfigured sequence or order. For example, the device 105 may analyzethe channel groups 130 according to an order based on channel groupsize. In some other aspects, the device 105 may analyze the channelgroups 130 in any order. In some other aspects, for multiple channelgroups 130, the device 105 may analyze the channel groups 130 inparallel.

For example, the device 105 may identify a channel group 130. The device105 may determine whether the identified channel group 130 satisfies acriterion (e.g., a defect threshold). For example, the device 105 may beperform one or more manufacturing tests for detecting defects (e.g.,BISTs, DFTs) in the channel group 130. In some examples, themanufacturing tests may include one or more BISTs which the device 105may apply for verifying the functionality of the channel group 130. Insome cases, the device 105 may apply one or more BISTs for verifying thefunctionality of any components (e.g., other channel groups 130, ASICs)included in the device 105.

In an example, the device 105 may detect (e.g., using a BIST) whether atleast one channel of the channel group 130 includes a defect. If thedevice 105 detects that at least one channel of the channel group 130includes a defect, the device 105 may allocate the overhead channel 132to the channel group 130 for redundancy operations. In some examples,the defect detected for may be a stuck-at fault. For example, the defectmay be that at least one channel of the channel group 130 is stuck at alogic value of “0” or “1.” If the device 105 detects a stuck-at fault,the device 105 may share the overhead channel 132 within the channelgroup 130 for both redundancy operations and DBI operations (e.g., usingDBI to further optimize the redundancy operations). Alternatively, oradditionally, if the device 105 detects that no channels in the channelgroup 130 include a defect, the device 105 may allocate the overheadchannel 132 to the channel group 130 for DBI operations (e.g., and notfor redundancy operations).

In some aspects, the device 105 (e.g., transmitter 110) may encode datato be transmitted over the channel group 130, based on the allocation ofthe overhead channel 132. For example, the device 105 (e.g., encoder115) may encode the data according to whether the overhead channel 132is allocated for redundancy operations or DBI operations. In an example,the device 105 (e.g., encoder 115) may output encoded data 135 incombination with a DBI flag 140 (also referred to herein as a DBIindicator). The DBI flag 140 may be a data bit (e.g., logic value of “0”or “1”) indicating whether the encoded data 135 sent over the data bus125 (per clock cycle) represents the original data encoded by theencoder 115 of the device 105 or an inverted (e.g., bit flip) version ofthe data. The DBI flag 140 may be included in the encoded data 135. Insome aspects, the device 105 (e.g., encoder 115) may set the value ofthe DBI flag 140.

In some aspects, the redundancy operations may include bypassing thedefective channel(s), for example, using a combination of logiccircuitry (e.g., logic gates) and the overhead channel 132. For example,for a defective channel included among the M channels, the redundancyoperations may include using the 1:N multiplexer (e.g., at thetransmitter 110) to bypass the defective channel. In an example ofredundancy operations, the device 105 may communicate signals intendedfor the defective channel, over the overhead channel 132.

The receiver 145 may receive the encoded data 135 (including the DBIflag 140). In some aspects, if the receiver 145 detects the DBI flag 140has a logic value of “0” (e.g., indicating original data or non-inverteddata), the receiver 145 may identify that the encoded data 135 includesnon-inverted data. In another example, if the receiver 145 detects theDBI flag 140 has a logic value of “1” (e.g., inverted data), thereceiver 145 may identify that the encoded data 135 includes inverteddata.

In an example in which the device 105 has allocated the overhead channel132 for redundancy operations (e.g., disabled DBI for the channel group130), the receiver 145 may be aware of the redundancy mode of operation.In an example, if the transmitter 110 and receiver 145 are configuredfor redundancy mode, there is no inversion of data (e.g., the encodeddata 135 includes non-inverted data). For each of the M channels in thechannel group 130, the receiver 145 may select (e.g., using acorresponding 1:2 multiplexer) the channel or the overhead channel 132.

In some aspects, the receiver 145 may receive the data associated withthe M channels in parallel. In some other aspects, the receiver 145 mayreceive the data associated with each of the M channels sequentially(e.g., per clock cycle).

In an example, if the device 105 detects a defective channel(s) in thechannel group 130, the device 105 may allocate the overhead channel 132for redundancy operations (e.g., a redundancy mode), and the device 105may disable DBI for the channel group 130 (e.g., allocate the DBI flag140 (i.e., DBI bit) for non-DBI purposes). For example, the device 105(e.g., at the transmitter 110 or encoder 115) may allocate the DBI flag140 for substituting the signal of a defective channel. The receiver 145(e.g., decoder 150), aware of the mode, may refrain from inverting thedata received from the transmitter 110 (e.g., encoder 115). The device105 may refrain from inverting the logic values associated with the Mchannels.

In another example, if the device 105 determines that there are nodefective channels in the channel group 130, the device 105 may allocatethe overhead channel 132 for DBI operations, and the device 105 mayenable DBI for the channel group 130 (e.g., for all M channels in thechannel group 130). In an example, for a case in which DBI is enabledfor the channel group 130, the device 105 may determine whether toactivate DBI (e.g., invert the logic values associated with all Mchannels, set the DBI flag 140 to logic value “1”) or not activate DBI(e.g., maintain the logic values as-is (non-inverted) for all Mchannels, set the DBI flag 140 to logic value “0”).

In some aspects, for an example case in which an overhead channel 132 isallocated for redundancy operations for a channel group 130, the device105 (e.g., transmitter 110, encoder 115) may activate DBI or deactivateDBI in association with redundancy operations. In an example, the device105 may activate DBI or deactivate DBI for the redundancy operationsbased on a trigger (condition) for bypassing a defective channel (e.g.,having a stuck-at-fault) included among the M channels of the channelgroup 130. Such techniques may differ from some DBI implementations foractivating DBI or deactivating DBI based on a power savings threshold.Example aspects of activating DBI or deactivating DBI based on a triggerfor bypassing a defective channel (e.g., having a stuck-at-fault),thereby providing additional levels of optimization in which DBI logicis applied for (e.g., shared) for redundancy operations, are describedwith reference to FIG. 2 .

In some other aspects, for an example case in which DBI is enabled forpower savings (e.g., a power save mode), the device 105 (e.g.,transmitter 110, encoder 115) may determine to activate DBI for achannel group 130 based on the number of bit transitions in the Mchannels of the channel group 130 (e.g., per clock cycle).Alternatively, or additionally, based on the number of bit transitions,the device 105 may determine not to activate DBI. For example, thedevice 105 (e.g., encoder 115) may compare the number of bit transitionsamong the M channels of the channel group 130 in a current clock cycleto the number of bit transitions in a previous clock cycle. If thenumber of bit transitions is less than 50%, for example, the device 105(e.g., transmitter 110, encoder 115) may encode and transmit the datafor all M channels of the channel group 130 as-is (e.g., unchanged) andset the DBI flag 140 to logic value “0.” Alternatively, if the number ofbit transitions is greater than 50%, for example, the device 105 (e.g.,transmitter 110, encoder 115) may invert the data (e.g., invert thelogic values of the data) for all M channels of the channel group 130and set the DBI flag 140 to logic value “1,” when generating the encodeddata 135.

The techniques described herein for allocating an overhead channel 132to each channel group 130 (e.g., sharing the overhead channel 132 amongM channels of a channel group 130) may be similarly applied to I/Os(e.g., in the case of an interposer used to interconnect multiple diesas part of a multi-package technology). For example, aspects of thepresent disclosure may be applied to an interposer including one or moreI/O groups. In some aspects, for an I/O group, the device 105 maysupport allocating an overhead I/O (also referred to herein as a sharedoverhead I/O) to the I/O group for redundancy operations and/orallocating the overhead I/O for DBI operations. For example, for an I/Ogroup, the device 105 may support allocating the overhead I/O to the I/Ogroup for redundancy operations or DBI operations. In some aspects, foreach I/O group, the device 105 may prioritize allocating a correspondingoverhead I/O for redundancy operations over allocating the overhead I/Ofor DBI operations.

An example implementation for providing DBI operations in combinationwith redundancy operations is described with reference to FIG. 2 .

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an encoder 200 that supports redundancyDBI sharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Theencoder 200 may include aspects of the device 105 described withreference to FIG. 1 . For example, the encoder 200 may include aspectsof the transmitter 110, the encoder 115, and/or the channelconfiguration manager 120 described with reference to FIG. 1 . Theencoder 200 may support operations for DBI and operations for stuckprotection (e.g., stuck-at-fault protection).

Aspects of the encoder 200 are described with reference to providingadditional levels of optimization in which DBI logic is applied for(e.g., shared for) redundancy operations. Example aspects of the encoder200 are described with reference to a channel group 130 described withreference to FIG. 1 , in which the channel group 130 may be allocated anoverhead channel 132. The encoder 200 (and a corresponding decoder, notshown) may be utilized for communicating data over the channel group130. In an example, the channel group 130 includes M channels (e.g., 8channels, 16 channels, 32 channels, 64 channels, etc.). In the exampleof FIG. 2 , the channel group 130 includes 32 channels (e.g., M is equalto 32).

The encoder 200 may include DBI components 201 and stuck protectioncomponents 202. The DBI components 201 may include, for example, DBIlogic 205, an inverter 210, and a multiplexer 215 (e.g., a 1:Mmultiplexer, where M is equal to 32). The stuck protection components202 may include, for example, a multiplexer 220 (e.g., a 1:Mmultiplexer, where M is equal to 32), an inverter 225, and a multiplexer230 (e.g., a 1:3 multiplexer).

In some example aspects, the DBI components 201 and stuck protectioncomponents 202 may include any number of components supportive of theDBI operations, logic redundancy operations, and/or stuck protectiondescribed herein. For example, the DBI components 201 and stuckprotection components 202 may include additional or less components(e.g., drivers, logic devices, switches, wires, etc.) than thoseillustrated in FIG. 2 .

In an example described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , thechannel group 130 is configured for redundancy operations (a redundancymode) using the overhead channel 132, and the encoder 200 (andcorresponding decoder) may provide an additional level optimization forsharing the overhead channel 132 between DBI operations and logicredundancy operations. In an example, the DBI components 201 and thestuck protection components 202 may correspond to portions of the logic(also referred to herein as additional logic or redundant logic)provided by the overhead channel 132.

In an example, the device 105 has detected (e.g., using a BIST, DFT,etc.) that at least one channel of the channel group 130 includes adefect (e.g., a stuck-at fault). Based on the detection of a defect thatis a stuck-at fault, the device 105 has allocated the overhead channel132 to the channel group 130 for both redundancy operations and DBIoperations (e.g., using DBI to further optimize the redundancyoperations).

The encoder 200 may receive input data 203 including a set of data bits.In the example of FIG. 2 , the input data 203 may have a bit width (alsoreferred to herein as a bit length) of 32 bits. The data bits (e.g., 32bits) of the input data 203 may correspond to the M channels (e.g., 32channels) of the channel group 130. In an example, the encoder 200 mayencode the input data 203 using a combination of the DBI components 201and the stuck protection components 202. For example, the encoder 200may feed the input data 203 to the DBI logic 205, the inverter 210, themultiplexer 215, and the multiplexer 220.

The DBI logic 205 may set a logic value of a DBI flag 206 to logic value“0” or “1.” The DBI logic 205 may output the DBI flag 206 to themultiplexer 230. Example aspects of the DBI logic 205 are describedbelow. The multiplexer 215 may output data 216 (e.g., 32 bits)corresponding to the input data 203. In an example, the data 216 mayinclude an inverted (e.g., by the inverter 210) set of logic valuescorresponding to the input data 203. Alternatively, or additionally, thedata 216 may include a non-inverted set of logic values corresponding tothe input data 203.

The multiplexer 220 may select any of the M channels in the channelgroup 130. For example, the multiplexer 220 may electrically couple anyof the M channels to the multiplexer 230 (e.g., directly or via theinverter 225) so as to forward a signal thereof. In an example, for adefective channel (e.g., having a stuck-at-fault) among the M channelsof the channel group 130, the multiplexer 220 may electrically couplethe defective channel to the multiplexer 230 (e.g., directly or via theinverter 225), for example, so as to forward the signal 221 (e.g.,stuck-at-fault value) thereof.

The multiplexer 230 may select between the DBI flag 206, the signal 221,or an inverted signal (e.g., via the inverter 225) corresponding to thesignal 221. In some aspects, the multiplexer 230 may determine theselection based on a mode selection signal 231 (e.g., DBI or stuck)provided by the device 105. The multiplexer 230 may output a signal 232(e.g., 1 bit) based on the selection. In some aspects, the modeselection signal 231 may be provided by the controller 155 describedwith reference to FIG. 1 .

In an example, the encoder 200 may transmit encoded data 233 (e.g.,encoded data bits, 33 data bits) over the channel group 130. Forexample, the encoder 200 may transmit, over the M channels (e.g., 32channels) of the channel group 130, data bits corresponding to the inputdata 203. The encoder 200 may transmit a data bit (e.g., correspondingto the DBI flag 206, the signal 221, or the inverted signalcorresponding to the signal 221) over the overhead channel 132 of thechannel group 130.

According to example aspects of the present disclosure, based on one ormore logic values of the input data 203 and the logic value of thedefective channel (e.g., stuck-at-fault), the encoder 200 may activateDBI or deactivate DBI for implementing aspects of the redundancy mode.For example, the encoder 200 may invert the logic values associated withall M channels of the channel group 130 (e.g., invert the logic valuesof the input data 203) and set the DBI flag 206 to logic value “1.”Alternatively, or additionally, the encoder 200 may maintain the logicvalues as-is (non-inverted) for all M channels of the channel group 130and set the DBI flag 206 to logic value “0.”

As described herein with reference to the M channels of the channelgroup 130, for cases in which the stuck-at-fault value of a defectivechannel is the same as the logic value of a data bit to be transmittedover the defective channel, the device 105 may maintain logic valuesassociated with all M channels of the channel group 130 and set the DBIflag 206 to “0.” In another aspect, for cases in which thestuck-at-fault value of a defective channel is different from the logicvalue of a data bit to be transmitted over the defective channel, thedevice 105 may invert logic values associated with all M channels of thechannel group 130 and set the DBI flag 206 to “1.”

In an example, the device 105 may identify that a channel of the channelgroup 130 is stuck at logic value “0” (e.g., the channel is a defectivechannel). At one or more clock cycles, if the device 105 identifies thata data bit to be transmitted over the defective channel also has a logicvalue of “0,” the encoder 200 may maintain the logic value as-is(non-inverted) for the defective channel. In some aspects, the encoder200 may maintain the logic values as-is (non-inverted) for all Mchannels of the channel group 130 (e.g., maintain the logic values ofthe input data 203) and set the DBI flag 206 to logic value “0.”Alternatively, or additionally, at one or more clock cycles, if thedevice 105 identifies that the data bit to be transmitted over thechannel has a logic value of “1,” the encoder 200 may invert the logicvalue for the defective channel. In some aspects, the encoder 200 mayinvert the logic values associated with all M channels of the channelgroup 130 (e.g., invert the logic values of the input data 203) and setthe DBI flag 206 to logic value “1.”

In another example, the device 105 may identify that a channel of thechannel group 130 is stuck at logic value “1” (e.g., the channel is adefective channel). At one or more clock cycles, if the device 105identifies that a data bit to be transmitted over the defective channelhas a logic value of “0,” the encoder 200 may invert the logic value forthe defective channel. In some aspects, the encoder 200 may invert thelogic values associated with all M channels of the channel group 130(e.g., invert the logic values of the input data 203) and set the DBIflag 206 to logic value “1.” Alternatively, or additionally, at one ormore clock cycles, if the device 105 identifies that the data bit to betransmitted over the channel has a logic value of “1,” the encoder 200may maintain the logic value as-is (non-inverted) for the defectivechannel. In some aspects, may maintain the logic values as-is(non-inverted) for all M channels of the channel group 130 (e.g.,maintain the logic values of the input data 203) and set the DBI flag206 to logic value “0.”

In reference to the example aspects described herein, the device 105 mayactivate DBI or deactivate DBI for redundancy operations. The device 105may activate DBI or deactivate DBI based on a trigger (condition) forbypassing a defective channel (e.g., bypassing a stuck-at-fault), whichmay differ from some DBI implementations for activating DBI ordeactivating DBI based on a power savings threshold.

In some aspects, a device 105 (e.g., a decoder) receiving the encodeddata 233 may support the redundancy techniques described herein, withoutadditional logic overhead (e.g., without an additional multiplexer forswitching to redundancy logic). For example, the encoder 200 may refrainfrom indicating the mode selection 231 (e.g., DBI or stuck) to a device105 (e.g., decoder) receiving the encoded data 233. In some examples,the decoder may be unaware of the mode selection 231. That is, forexample, the decoder may be unaware of whether DBI is used or logicredundancy is being used at the encoder 200. For example, the decodermay be unaware of whether additional logic overhead is being utilized atthe encoder 200 for DBI (e.g., and power savings) or logic redundancy.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system that supports redundancy DBIsharing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The system300 may include a device 305. The device 305 may include aspects of thedevice 105 or the encoder 200 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some cases, the device 305 may be referred to as a computingresource. The device 305 may perform any or all of the operationsdescribed in the present disclosure.

The device 305 may include a transmitter 310, a receiver 315, acommunications interface 320, a controller 320, a memory 325, aprocessor 340, and a communications interface 360. In some examples,components of the device 305 (e.g., transmitter 310, receiver 315,controller 320, memory 325, processor 340, communications interface 360,etc.) may communicate over a system bus (e.g., control busses, addressbusses, data busses, etc.) included in the device 305. The transmitter310, receiver 315, and controller 320 may include aspects of thetransmitter 110, receiver 145, and controller 155 described withreference to FIG. 1 . The data busses of the system bus may includeexample aspects of the data bus 125 described herein.

The transmitter 310 and the receiver 315 may support the transmissionand reception of signals to and from the device 305. In some aspects,the transmitter 310 and the receiver 315 may support the transmissionand reception of signals within the device 305. The transmitter 310 andreceiver 315 may be collectively referred to as a transceiver. Anantenna may be electrically coupled to the transceiver. The device 305may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters 310, multiplereceivers 315, multiple transceivers and/or multiple antennas.

The controller 320 may be located on a same chip (e.g., ASIC chip) asthe transmitter 310 and/or the receiver 315. In some cases, thecontroller 320 may be located on a different chip as the transmitter 310and/or the receiver 315. In some examples, the controller 320 may belocated on a chip of or on a chip of another device 305. The controller320 may instruct the transmitter 310 to use one or more DBI encodingalgorithms for encoding data to be sent via a data bus. In someexamples, the controller 320 may instruct the receiver 315 to use one ormore DBI encoding algorithms for decoding data that is received via thedata bus. In some examples, the controller 320 may be a programmedmicroprocessor or microcontroller. In some aspects, the controller 320may include one or more CPUs, memory, and programmable I/O peripherals.

The memory 325 may be any electronic component capable of storingelectronic information. The memory 325 may be, for example, randomaccess memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disk storagemedia, optical storage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-boardmemory included with the processor, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory,registers, and so forth, including combinations thereof.

The memory 325 may include instructions 330 (computer readable code) anddata 335 stored thereon. The instructions 330 may be executable by theprocessor 340 to implement the methods disclosed herein. In someaspects, execution of the instructions 330 may involve one or moreportions of the data 350. In some examples, when the processor 340executes the instructions 330, various portions of the instructions 330and/or the data 335 may be loaded onto the processor 340.

The processor 340 may correspond to one or multiple computer processingdevices. For example, the processor 340 may include a silicon chip, suchas a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an ASIC, any other type ofIntegrated Circuit (IC) chip, a collection of IC chips, or the like. Insome aspects, the processors may include a microprocessor, a CentralProcessing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or plurality ofmicroprocessors configured to execute instructions sets stored in acorresponding memory (e.g., memory 325 of the device 305). For example,upon executing the instruction sets stored in memory 325, the processor340 may enable or perform one or more functions of the device 305. Insome examples, a combination of processors 340 (e.g., an advancedreduced instruction set computer (RISC) machine (ARM) and a digitalsignal processor (DSP) 355) may be implemented in the device 305.

The communications interface 360 may support interactions (e.g., via aphysical or virtual interface) between a user and the device 305.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supportsredundancy DBI sharing in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure. In some examples, process flow 400 may implement aspects ofa device 105, an encoder 200, and/or a device 305 described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 3 .

In the following description of the process flow 400, the operations maybe performed in a different order than the order shown, or theoperations may be performed in different orders or at different times.Certain operations may also be left out of the process flow 400, orother operations may be added to the process flow 400. It is to beunderstood that while a device 105 is described as performing a numberof the operations of process flow 400, any device (e.g., another device105 in communication with the device 105) may perform the operationsshown.

At 405, the device 105 may identify a group of channels included in adata bus.

At 410, the device 105 may determine whether the group of channelssatisfies a criterion. In some examples, the criterion may include adefect threshold associated with at least one channel of the group ofchannels.

At 415, the device 105 may allocate at least one overhead channel to thegroup of channels for a set of redundancy operations based on thedetermining of whether the group of channels satisfies the criterion. Insome aspects, allocating the at least one overhead channel for the setof redundancy operations may be associated with a first priority. Insome examples, the device 105 may allocate the at least one overheadchannel for the set of redundancy operations based on determining thegroup of channels satisfies the criterion. In some examples, the atleast one overhead channel may include redundant logic circuitrycorresponding to at least one channel of the group of channels. In someexamples, the at least one overhead channel may be allocated from asecond group of channels included in the data bus.

In some examples, at 420, the device 105 may disable the set of data businversion operations for the group of channels based on determining thegroup of channels satisfies the criterion.

Alternatively, or additionally, at 425, the device 105 may allocate theat least one overhead channel to the group of channels for a set of databus inversion operations based on the determining of whether the groupof channels satisfies the criterion. In some aspects, allocating the atleast one overhead channel for the set of data bus inversion operationsmay be associated with a second priority. In an example, the firstpriority for allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set ofredundancy operations may be higher than the second priority forallocating the at least one overhead channel for the set of data businversion operations. That is, the device 105 may prioritize allocatingthe at least one overhead channel for the set of redundancy operations,over allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set of DBIoperations. In some examples, the device 105 may allocate the at leastone overhead channel for the set of data bus inversion operations basedon determining the group of channels fails to satisfy the criterion.

In some examples, at 430, the device 105 may enable the set of data businversion operations for the group of channels based on determining thegroup of channels fails to satisfy the criterion.

At 435, the device 105 may encode data associated with the group ofchannels based on the allocating. In some examples, the encoded data mayinclude a data bus inversion indicator. In some aspects, the device 105may set a value for the data bus inversion indicator. In an example, thedevice 105 may set the value based on inverting the logic valueassociated with each channel of the group of channels or refraining frominverting the logic value associated with each channel of the group ofchannels.

In some other examples, the device 105 may identify a fault associatedwith at least one channel of the group of channels. In some examples,the fault may include a stuck-at fault having a logic value of zero or alogic value of one. In some cases, the device 105 may refrain frombypassing the at least one channel associated with the fault. In anexample, the device 105 may invert a logic value associated with eachchannel of the group of channels based on a logic value associated withthe fault and a logic value associated with the at least one channel.For example, the encoded data may include the inverted logic valueassociated with each channel of the group of channels. In anotherexample, the device 105 may refrain from inverting the logic valueassociated with each channel of the group of channels based on the logicvalue associated with the fault and the logic value associated with theat least one channel. For example, the encoded data may include anon-inverted logic value associated with each channel of the group ofchannels.

In some examples, the device 105 may perform the operations describedwith reference to 405 through 435 for multiple groups of channelsincluded in the data bus (e.g., iteratively, in parallel, etc.). Forexample, the device 105 may further identify one or more other groups ofchannels included in the data bus. The device 105 may determine whethereach of the one or more other groups of channels satisfies a criterion(e.g., a defect threshold associated with at least one channel of therespective group of channels). The device 105 may allocate a respectiveoverhead channel to each of the one or more other groups of channels fora set of redundancy operations or a set of data bus inversionoperations. The allocation may be based on the determining of whethereach group of channels satisfies a criterion. In some examples, theoverhead channels respectively allocated for the groups of channels maybe included in the data bus. In an example, the device 105 may encodedata associated with the one or more other groups of channels based onthe allocation of the at least one respective overhead channel.

Particular aspects of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented to realize increased power savings, reduced SSO, improvedreliability, and/or improved yield. Aspects of the subject matter may beimplemented to utilize DBI techniques and logic redundancy techniqueswhile optimizing (e.g., minimizing) channel overhead, signalingoverhead, and/or processing overhead.

Any of the steps, functions, and operations discussed herein can beperformed continuously and automatically.

The exemplary apparatuses, systems, and methods of this disclosure havebeen described in relation to examples of a device 105, an encoder 200,and device 305. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presentdisclosure, the preceding description omits a number of known structuresand devices. This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of thescope of the claimed disclosure. Specific details are set forth toprovide an understanding of the present disclosure. It should, however,be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced in a varietyof ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.

It will be appreciated from the descriptions herein, and for reasons ofcomputational efficiency, that the components of devices and systemsdescribed herein can be arranged at any appropriate location within adistributed network of components without impacting the operation of thedevice and/or system.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It willbe further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andthis disclosure.

While the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated in relation toa particular sequence of events, it should be appreciated that changes,additions, and omissions to this sequence can occur without materiallyaffecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments, configuration, andaspects.

The foregoing discussion of the disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intendedto limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In theforegoing Detailed Description for example, various features of thedisclosure are grouped together in one or more embodiments,configurations, or aspects for the purpose of streamlining thedisclosure. The features of the embodiments, configurations, or aspectsof the disclosure may be combined in alternate embodiments,configurations, or aspects other than those discussed above. This methodof disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention thatthe claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recitedin each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventiveaspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosedembodiment, configuration, or aspect. Thus, the following claims arehereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a data bus; a processor;and memory in electronic communication with the processor; andinstructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable bythe processor to: identify a group of channels included in the data bus;determine whether the group of channels satisfies a criterion; allocateat least one overhead channel to the group of channels for a set ofredundancy operations or a set of data bus inversion operations based atleast in part on the determining, wherein the at least one overheadchannel is included in the data bus; and encode data associated with thegroup of channels based at least in part on the allocating.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein: allocating the at least one overheadchannel for the set of redundancy operations is based at least in parton determining the group of channels satisfies the criterion.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the instructions are further executable bythe processor to: disable the set of data bus inversion operations forthe group of channels based at least in part on determining the group ofchannels satisfies the criterion.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set of data businversion operations is based at least in part on determining the groupof channels fails to satisfy the criterion.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4,wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:enabling the set of data bus inversion operations for the group ofchannels based at least in part on determining the group of channelsfails to satisfy the criterion.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theinstructions are further executable by the processor to: identify one ormore other groups of channels included in the data bus; determinewhether each of the one or more other groups of channels satisfies acriterion; and allocate a respective overhead channel to each of the oneor more other groups of channels for a set of redundancy operations or aset of data bus inversion operations, wherein the allocating is based atleast in part on the determining, and wherein the respective overheadchannel is included in the data bus; and encoding data associated withthe one or more other groups of channels based at least in part on theallocating.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: allocating the atleast one overhead channel for the set of redundancy operations isassociated with a first priority; and allocating the at least oneoverhead channel for the set of data bus inversion operations isassociated with a second priority.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, whereinthe first priority is higher than the second priority.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein: the at least one overhead channel comprisesredundant logic circuitry corresponding to at least one channel of thegroup of channels.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the criterioncomprises a defect threshold associated with at least one channel of thegroup of channels.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theinstructions are further executable by the processor to: identify afault associated with at least one channel of the group of channels; andinvert a logic value associated with each channel of the group ofchannels or refrain from inverting the logic value associated with eachchannel of the group of channels, based at least in part on a logicvalue associated with the fault and a logic value associated with the atleast one channel, wherein the encoded data comprises the inverted logicvalue associated with each channel of the group of channels or anon-inverted logic value associated with each channel of the group ofchannels.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions arefurther executable by the processor to: refrain from bypassing the atleast one channel associated with the fault.
 13. The apparatus of claim11, wherein: the fault comprises a stuck-at fault; and the faultcomprises a logic value of zero or a logic value of one.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the encoded data comprises a data businversion indicator.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein theinstructions are further executable by the processor to: set a value forthe data bus inversion indicator, wherein setting the value is based atleast in part on inverting the logic value associated with each channelof the group of channels or refraining from inverting the logic valueassociated with each channel of the group of channels.
 16. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the at least one overhead channel is allocated froma second group of channels included in the data bus.
 17. A systemcomprising: a data bus; a controller, wherein the controller isconfigured to: identify a group of channels included in the data bus;determine whether the group of channels satisfies a criterion; andallocate at least one overhead channel to the group of channels for aset of redundancy operations or a set of data bus inversion operationsbased at least in part on the determining, wherein the at least oneoverhead channel is included in the data bus; and a transceiver, whereinthe transceiver is configured to: encode data associated with the groupof channels based at least in part on the allocating.
 18. The system ofclaim 17, wherein: allocating the at least one overhead channel for theset of redundancy operations is based at least in part on determiningthe group of channels satisfies the criterion.
 19. The system of claim17, wherein: allocating the at least one overhead channel for the set ofdata bus inversion operations is based at least in part on determiningthe group of channels fails to satisfy the criterion.
 20. A devicecomprising: a data bus comprising: a group of channels; and at least oneoverhead channel; first logic circuitry configured to determine whetherthe group of channels satisfies a criterion; second logic circuitryconfigured to allocate the at least one overhead channel to the group ofchannels for a set of redundancy operations or a set of data businversion operations based at least in part on the determining; and atransceiver configured to encode data associated with the group ofchannels based at least in part on the allocating.
 21. The device ofclaim 20, wherein: the device is an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC).
 22. A method comprising: identifying a group of channelsincluded in a data bus; determining whether the group of channelssatisfies a criterion; allocating at least one overhead channel to thegroup of channels for a set of redundancy operations or a set of databus inversion operations based at least in part on the determining,wherein the at least one overhead channel is included in the data bus;and encoding data associated with the group of channels based at leastin part on the allocating.